Heat Recovery
Steam Generator
(HRSG) Explained
First Edition, 2023
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Table Of Contents
What is a heat recovery steam generator (HRSG)? ................................................................. 1
Why do we need heat recovery steam generators? ................................................................. 1
HRSG Applications .................................................................................................................... 2
What are the main parts of a HRSG? ........................................................................................ 3
How does a heat recovery steam generator work?................................................................... 4
Multi Pressure and Single Pressure HRSGs ............................................................................. 5
Vertical HRSGs and Horizontal HRSGs .................................................................................... 6
[Link] Heat Recovery Steam Generator (HRSG) Explained
What is a heat recovery steam generator (HRSG)?
A Heat Recovery Steam Generator, commonly abbreviated as a HRSG, is a specialised
piece of equipment designed to recover heat from hot gases. These hot gases often come
from a gas turbine as exhaust (flue gases), or an industrial process that generates a lot
of heat. The recovered heat is then used to boil water and produce steam, which can be
utilised for power generation or other industrial processes.
Heat Recovery Steam Generators
Why do we need heat recovery steam generators?
Efficiency and Sustainability
One of the primary reasons for using a HRSG is to increase the efficiency of a system. For
example, by recapturing waste heat from a combustion process, we reduce the amount of
heat lost, and thus increase the system’s overall efficiency. An increase in plant efficiency
correlates with reduced operational costs and reduced environmental impact.
Cost Savings
Whilst the initial capital investment in a HRSG might be large, the long-term efficiency gains
make the investment cost-effective. Over the service life of the HRSG (potentially >20 years),
it will pay for itself many times over. The high reliability of a HRSG also means that its
operational time is high, this ensures a good return on investment.
[Link] Heat Recovery Steam Generator (HRSG) Explained| pg. 1
Flexibility
HRSGs can be integrated into various industrial processes, offering flexibility in terms of
application. Whether it's for power generation, district heating, or other industrial
applications, a HRSG can increase system efficiencies considerably (because it recovers
heat that would otherwise be lost).
HRSG Applications
A HRSG is typically installed downstream of a gas turbine (combustion turbine) or other
combustion process within a power plant. For example, a combined cycle power plant
(CCPP) utilises a gas turbine and HRSG installed in series. Within a CCPP, a gas turbine is
used to generate electricity, whilst its exhaust gases are discharged to the HRSG, which
is used to generate steam. With this setup, gas turbines are typically fired on natural gas
although it is possible to use many other fuel types.
Steam from the HRSG is then used to drive a steam turbine, which also generates
electricity. In industrial settings, HRSGs might also be found wherever there's a need to
recover waste heat for steam production, such as in refineries or chemical plants.
Combined Cycle Power Plant Parts
[Link] Heat Recovery Steam Generator (HRSG) Explained| pg. 2
What are the main parts of a HRSG?
Despite the size of most HRSGs, they have relatively few main parts and few systems. A
typical HRSG will have a high-pressure, intermediate-pressure, and low-pressure steam
system. Each system has an associated steam drum, economiser (economizer),
evaporator, and superheater. Flow through the HRSG is from the economiser, to steam
drum, to evaporator, and then to the superheater.
This flow occurs first in the low-pressure (LP), then intermediate-pressure (IP), and finally
the high-pressure (HP) steam system. Each steam system also has a corresponding steam
turbine i.e. high-pressure steam turbine, intermediate-pressure steam turbine, and low-
pressure steam turbine.
The economiser, evaporator, and superheater are constructed from tubes so that they have
a large contact surface area with the exhaust gases; this means they also have a large heat
transfer capacity. It is best to think of these main parts as heat exchangers, as this is
their primary function. Each of these three parts acts as a heat exchanger to produce
steam (evaporator and superheater), or water/steam mixture (economiser).
Heat Recovery Steam Generator Parts
The four major components of a HRSG are listed below.
• Economiser – feedwater is fed first to the base of the economiser. The economiser
preheats the feedwater. Boiler water is discharged from the economiser to the
associated system steam drum. Preheating the feedwater increases the efficiency of
the system by ensuring that water entering the steam drum is already warm (no risk
of thermal shocking).
[Link] Heat Recovery Steam Generator (HRSG) Explained| pg. 3
• Steam Drum – boiler water from the economiser is discharged to its respective steam
drum. The steam drum separates steam and water. Steam rises to the top of the
steam drum and is sent to the superheater. Water is discharged from the bottom of
the steam drum to the evaporator. Boiler water is recirculated within the evaporator
until it becomes steam.
• Evaporator – where the production of steam takes place. Water flows through tubes
that are heated by hot exhaust gases. The water absorbs heat from the tubes as it
travels through the evaporator, and this causes it to change phase/state to steam.
Not all water changes phase to steam, thus it is a steam/water mixture (wet steam)
that is discharged from the evaporator to the steam drum. The water that did not
change state to steam, is recirculated again through the evaporator.
• Superheater – takes the steam produced in the evaporator and increases its
temperature (and energy) even further, ensuring it's at the optimal condition for the
steam turbine or industrial consumer. Superheaters add sensible heat to steam,
they do not add latent heat because there is no change of phase at this stage (no
change from water to steam).
Good to know – this handbook is part of our Power Engineering Fundamentals online
course. Check it out if you want to learn more about HRSGs, turbines, transformers, and
power plants.
How does a heat recovery steam generator work?
To understand how a HRSG works, it is best to study the below diagram.
HRSG Flow Path
[Link] Heat Recovery Steam Generator (HRSG) Explained| pg. 4
Notice that water enters the HRSG at the coldest part (furthest from heat source) and is
heated gradually as it progresses towards the heat source. Notice also that there is a
standard flow pattern, which starts with the economiser, then the steam drum, evaporator,
steam drum again, superheater, and finally to the steam turbines. If the HRSG has a HP,
IP, and LP steam system, the flow path is the same, as each system has its own
economiser, evaporator, and superheater.
The HRSG working principle is summarised below.
1. Heat Recovery – exhaust gases from a gas turbine or other heat source, typically at
temperatures of 900°F to 1,100°F (482°C to 593°C), are directed into the HRSG.
2. Economiser Preheating – feedwater is preheated in the economiser. This process
elevates the water temperature close to its boiling point, preparing it for the evaporator.
3. Steam Drum – water from the economiser is delivered to the steam drum, often also
passing through a deaerator. Saturated steam is discharged from steam drums.
4. Evaporator Steam Generation – preheated water flows through the evaporator tubes
and is heated by the hot exhaust gases. The heat exchanged results in the water boiling
and changing state to steam. The temperature in the evaporator can range from 250°F to
600°F (121°C to 315°C), depending on the system pressure.
5. Superheating – generated steam from the evaporator is directed to the superheater.
Steam within the superheater is exposed to hotter exhaust gases due to it being closer to
the heat source. The superheater may raise the steam’s temperature up to 1,022°F (550°C),
which is what is required by a typical power station high-pressure turbine. Steam turbines
require superheated steam because of its high energy content and reduced moisture
content (dry superheated steam is what is delivered to a steam turbine).
The amount of energy the steam contains corresponds to how much energy the steam
turbine can extract, and consequently how much electrical power its generator can
produce.
6. Steam Turbine Power Generation – dry superheated steam is discharged from the
HRSG to one or more steam turbines. The steam turbine converts the heat energy of the
steam to mechanical energy and passes this to a generator (both are installed on a common
shaft).
The generator converts the mechanical energy into electrical power (electricity).
7. Exhaust Gas Discharge – after the exhaust gases have transferred most of their heat
energy to the water and steam systems, they are discharged to the atmosphere at a
temperature of between 250°F to 300°F (121°C to 149°C). It is important that the hot gas
stream does not have an excessively low temperature because otherwise condensation
may occur within the stack and a corrosive environment will be created.
[Link] Heat Recovery Steam Generator (HRSG) Explained| pg. 5
Good to know – a ‘stack’ is similar to a ‘chimney’ although ‘stack’ is the more common term
used in engineering.
Multi Pressure and Single Pressure HRSGs
If a HRSG operates at a single pressure level, it will have a single steam drum, single
economiser section, single evaporator section, and single superheater section. If a HRSG
operates at multiple pressure levels i.e. LP, IP, and HP pressure levels, it will also have
multiple steam drums, economisers, evaporators, and superheaters. A HRSG system that
operates at a single pressure level is referred to as a single pressure HRSG. A HRSG
system that operates at multiple pressure levels is referred to as a multi pressure HRSG.
Power plants use multi pressure HRSGs whilst single pressure HRSGs are more likely to be
used for other industrial applications.
Vertical HRSGs and Horizontal HRSGs
It is possible to classify heat recovery steam generators based on their orientation:
• Vertical Type HRSG - exhaust gases flow vertically over horizontal tubes.
• Horizontal Type HRSG - exhaust gases flow horizontally over vertical tubes.
[Link] Heat Recovery Steam Generator (HRSG) Explained| pg. 6